Spindle arrangement

ABSTRACT

A spindle arrangement useful in conjunction with spinning machines, twisting machines and the like is described. The arrangement includes a spindle rail and a bearing housing. The bearing housing is attached to the spindle rail and includes a flange having an upper surface above the spindle rail. A spindle top which includes a spindle shaft and a whorl, is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. The whorl has a lower surface positioned in the vicinity of the upper surface of the flange in spaced relationship thereto. A base-bearing is located within the bearing housing. An end of the spindle shaft is supported in the base-bearing. The base-bearing is resiliently supported by a spring so as to provide for axial mobility.

Unite States Krauss et al.

*5 atet 11 1 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 520,188 6/1957 Belgium 57/l35 Primary Examiner-John Petrakes Attorney, Agent, or FirmEdwin E. Greigg [5 7] ABSTRACT A spindle arrangement useful in conjunction with spinning machines, twisting machines and the like is described. The arrangement includes a spindle rail and a bearing housing. The bearing housing is'attached to the spindle rail and includes a flange having an upper surface above the spindle rail. A spindle top which includes a spindle shaft and a whorl, is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. The whorl has a lower surface positioned in the vicinity of the upper surface of the flange in spaced relationship thereto. A base-bearing is located within the bearing housing. An end of the spindle shaft is supported in the basebearing. The base-bearing is resiliently supported by a spring so as to provide for axial mobility.

10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures AM] 14 FIGZ F161 I SPINDLE ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a spindle arrangement of spinning machines, twisting machines and the like. The invention relates, more particularly, to a spin dle arrangement having a spindle top which is mounted rotatingly in a bearing housing attachable to one spindle rail of the corresponding machine, the bearing housing including a flange whose upper surface is located above the spindle rail, and where at some distance above this upper surface is found the lower surface of a whorl.

Spinning and twisting machines are often equipped with automatic spool (bobbins yarn package or the like) change mechanisms which automatically exchange, for example, the filled-up spools for empty spools after the termination of a draw-off. Such spool mechanisms have elements which effectively grasp the spools, these being moved by an automatically controlled mechanism, in the manner required, for the transport of the spools, for the installation of the spools on the spindle, and for the removal of the spools from the spindle. The forces can be very large during these maneuvers, particularly if all of a considerable number of the full spools on a row of spindles of the particular machine are simultaneously exchanged for empty spools by such a spool change mechanism.

During the mounting of an empty spool ona spindle by means of an automatic spool change mechanism, it can happen, in rare cases, that the spindle top is heavily loaded in the downwardly axial direction. For example, it is possible that accidentally empty spools of insufficiently large inside diameter have been used or it is possible that it was forgotten to remove the remains of threads or yarn from previous draw-off from the spindle top so that in both cases the spool cannot easily attain its intended position on the spindle top.

Thus, the spool exerts a great axial force on the spindle during its downward motion. It has been observed that under unfavorable circumstances this can leadto serious damage to the spindle bearing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a spindle arrangement so designed that its bearing is protected better than has been the case before against damages of the aforementioned type, such as may occur during the exchange of spools by means of automatic spool change mechanism.

The foregoing object, as well as others which are to become apparent from the text below, is accomplished by a spindle arrangement useful in conjunction with spinning machines, twisting machines, and the like. The arrangement includes a spindle rail and a bearing housing. The bearing housing is attached to the spindle rail and includes a flange having an upper surface above the spindle rail. A spindle top, which includes a whorl and a spindle shaft, is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. The whorl has a lower surface positioned in the vicinity of the upper surface of the flange in spaced relationship thereto. A base-bearing, resiliently supported by a resilient member, is located within the bearing housing. An end of the spindle shaft is sup ported in the base-bearing. The resilient member provides for axial mobility of the spindle shaft. The flange on the bearing housing serves as an abutment for the whorl, limits axial mobility of the spindle shaft in the downward direction and protects the base-bearing from damage.

According to the present invention, the axial mobility which is known per se, of the base-bearing support located within the bearing housing is used to provide axial mobility for the spindle shaft. The base of the spindle shaft of the spindle top is supported by the base-bearing. The flange of the bearing housing serves as an abutment for the whorl thereby limiting the axial mobility of the spindle shaft in the downward direction.

According to the present invention, a greater than normal axial loading of the spindle top is intercepted because the whorl abuts a flange of the like of the hearing housing mounted on the spindle rail. It is thus impossible to overload the base-bearing which supports the spindle shaft. Neither can the whorl be pressed against the sleeve bearing or the bearing tube which carries the sleeve bearing so that-virtually no danger of damage exists. Thus in tests on a spindle arrangement according to the present invention, it has been found that the spindle top could be loaded with an axial force of 1.5 tons without damage to the spindle. Since such extremely large forces do not occur in practice, the overload protection provided by the present invention is completely reliable.

In rare cases it might possibly be conceivable that, if the axes of the whorl and the flange are not precisely parallel, then as the whorl is pressed against the flange, there might result tilting motions of the spindle top which would produce lateral forces; under certain circumstances these forces could produce heavy loading of the bearing, even though such a case is not very probable. However, in order to meet even such a remote possible danger, it can be provided, according to a preferred feature of this invention, that the surfaces of the whorl and of the flange of the bearing housing, which touch one another in the lowermost possible position of the spindle top are made of materials of differing hardness. The material of lesser hardness can be disposed in some cases on the lower surface of the whorl, or the whorl itself can be made of such material. In genreal, however, it is more advantageous if at least a region of the flange of the bearing housing which begins at its upper surface consists of a material of lesser hardness. the material of lesser hardness is preferably aluminum, bronze, synthetics, rubber, pressed fiber of the like in the form of a disc. The disc of such material is disposed on the upper surface of the flange.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of a spindle arrangement 10, according to the present invention, includes a spindle bottom (base) 11 and a spindle top 12 rotatably mounted in the spindle bottom 11. The spindle bottom 11 includes a bearing housing 13 which has an annular flange 14 with a flat upper surface 15. The flange l4 lies on the upper surface of a spindle rail 16 of the particular machine. A nut 17,

I contact with the flange l4, first touches only one place the bearing sleeve 19 and is normally pushed upwardly by a compression spring 22 toward an interior shoulder 23 of the bearing sleeve 19 and therefore into its uppermost position. From this uppermost position, the basebearing 21 can be pushed in the direction of an arrow A axially downward against the action of the compression spring 22 which serves as a return spring.

The bearing sleeve 19, as shown, is a so-called centralizing sleeve, but may be of a number of different conventional constructions, if desired.

The spindle top 12 includes a spindle shaft 24 which caries a conventional mounting fixture (not shown) on which the spools or the like can be exchangeably placed. These spools can carry yarn packages which may be wound on the particular machine with which the spindle arrangement of the resent invention is associated.

The spindle shaft 24, positioned rotatably within the bearing sleeve 19, carries a whorl 25, immovably pressfitted thereto. The whorl 25 has an interior cavity 26. Both the region of the bearing housing 13, which extends upwardly from the flange 14, and also the region of the bearing sleeve 19, which extends beyond the bearing housing 13, extend into the cavity 26.

The whorl 25 and the length of its interior cavity 26 are chosen so that in the uppermost position of the base-bearing 21, the distance a from the lower frontal surface 27 of the whorl 25 to the upper surface of flange 14 is smaller than the distance b from the upper frontal end surface 29 of the bearing sleeve 19 to the upper, inner, end surface 30 of the interior cavity 26 of whorl 25. The axial mobility of the base-bearing 21, furthermore, is chosen so that the length of the downward leading maximum path of axial motion of the base-bearing 21 from its uppermost position is greater than the distance a between the lower frontal surface 27 of the whorl 25 and the upper surface 15 of the flange 14. When the spindle top 12 is pushed downwardly during a spool change from its depicted normal position in the direction of arrow A, then it can be pushed downwardly only until its whorl 25 abuts the upper surface 15 of the flange 14 lying on the spindle rail 16 as is shown in dash-dot lines. Consequently, the upper, inner, end surface 30 of the cavity 26 of whorl 25 cannot under any circumstances come in contact with the upper frontal surface 29 of the bearing sleeve 19. In the same way, the base-bearing 21 cannot be overloaded because its otherwise possible free downward travel cannot be fully exploited.

As mentioned, it can be suitable to form the whorl 25 and the flange 14, at least in those regions in which they may touch one another, or materials of differing hardness in order to' reduce or to avoid the occurrence of lateral forces when the whorl 25, during its initial or another along the circumferencial portion of the flange 14. For-this purpose, it is preferably provided that the flange 14 of the bearing housing 13 is injection molded aluminum and it may be directly injection molded to the remaining portion of the bearing housing 13 which normally suitable is made of steel. Instead of aluminum, other suitable materials can be provided, for example aluminum, bronze, synthetic plastic material, rubber, pressed fiber or the like. The whorl 25 can in general suitably be made of steel in the usual manner.

In operation, the whorl 25 carries a tangential belt or some other drive belt which drives the spindle top 12.

Instead of making the flange 14 completely of a softer material than the whorl 25, one can also suitably provide that only a region beginning at its upper surface 15, at which the whorl 25 is to abut, be made of such a softer, resilient or elastic material. One can provide that a disc or a layer of such softer material be inserted or placed on or in the flange 14, as is shown in an example in FIG. 2, where a thin disc 31 made of elastic synthetic material is disposed on the flange 14. The flange 14 in this case can be made of steel or the like or in some cases can be made of a softer material than steel, or it can be made in some other conventional manner.

Instead of using the flange 14 as a stop for the whorl 25, the bearing housing 13 can, in some cases, include one or several other integral projections, a shoulder or the like, which form an abutment or abutments which limit the downward motion of the spindle top 12 either fixedly or somewhat resiliently.

Because of the measures according to the invention, the spindle arrangement 10 cannot be overloaded and therefore can no longer be damaged by too great a magnitude of axial forces acting on the spidnle top 12 when anomalous axial loadings occur during the automatic placement of a spool on the spindle top 12 and which without the measures according to the invention, could lead to damage of the spindle bearing.

The flange 14, or some other provided abutment, abutments or the like of the bearing housing 13, which limit the downward motion of the spindle top 12 in order to avoid damage of parts of the spindle during the danger or axial overloading of the spindle are effective as abutments for the whorl 25 only in the lowermost position of the spindle top 12 because normally the whorl 25 is always located at some distance above this abutment or abutments so that in its operation it may rotate freely. The danger of axial overloadings occurs only when the spindle top 12 is standing still, i.e., when a spool change is to take place.

It is to be understood that while particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, various modifications therein can be made without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A spindle arrangement, particularly useful in conjunction with spinning machines, twisting machines and the like, comprising, in combination:

a. a spindle rail;

b. a bearing housing attached to said spindle rail, said bearing housing including flange means having an upper surface above said spindle rail, which surface serves as an abutment;

c. a spindle top rotatably mounted in said bearing housing, said spindle top including a spindle shaft and a whorl, said whorl having a lower surface positioned in the vicinity of said upper surface of said flange means and spaced therefrom by a given maximum distance;

. a base-bearing located within said bearing housing, an end of said spindle shaft being supported by said base-bearing; and

e. resilient means located within said bearing housing in a space greater in length then said given maximum distance for resiliently supporting said basebearing and allowing downward movement of said spindle shaft and said base-bearing;

whereby the flange means on the bearing housing serves as the abutment to limit axial mobility of the spindle shaft in the downward direction against the force of the resilient means to the given maximum distance.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said lower surface of said whorl and said upper surface of said flange of said bearing housing, which surfaces come into contact in the lowermost position of said spindle top, are made of materials of different hard ness.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein at least a region of said flange of said bearing housing be ginning at its said upper surface consists of material of the lesser hardness.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of the lesser hardness is aluminum.

5. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is bronze.

6. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is a synthetic plastic material.

7. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is rubber.

8. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is pressed fiber.

9. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said flange means comprises a shoulder provided on said bearing housing.

10. An arrangement according to claim ll, wherein said flange means comprises at least one projection extending radially from said bearing housing. 

1. A spindle arrangement, particularly useful in conjunction with spinning machines, twisting machines and the like, comprising, in combination: a. a spindle rail; b. a bearing housing attached to said spindle rail, said bearing housing including flange means having an upper surface above said spindle rail, which surface serves as an abutment; c. a spindle top rotatably mounted in said bearing housing, said spindle top including a spindle shaft and a whorl, said whorl having a lower surface positioned in the vicinity of said upper surface of said flange means and spaced therefrom by a given maximum distance; d. a base-bearing located within said bearing housing, an end of said spindle shaft being supported by said base-bearing; and e. resilient means located within said bearing housing in a space greater in length then said given maximum distance for resiliently supporting said base-bearing and allowing downward movement of said spindle shaft and said base-bearing; whereby the flange means on the bearing housing serves as the abutment to limit axial mobility of the spindle shaft in the downward direction against the force of the resilient means to the given maximum distance.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said lower surface of said whorl and said upper surface of said flange of said bearing housing, which surfaces come into contact in the lowermost position of said spindle top, are made of materials of different hardness.
 3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein at least a region of said flange of said bearing housing beginning at its said uppeR surface consists of material of the lesser hardness.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of the lesser hardness is aluminum.
 5. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is bronze.
 6. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is a synthetic plastic material.
 7. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is rubber.
 8. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said material of lesser hardness is pressed fiber.
 9. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said flange means comprises a shoulder provided on said bearing housing.
 10. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said flange means comprises at least one projection extending radially from said bearing housing. 